English Teacher Jobs

English Teacher Job Profile

English Teacher Job Profile

Becoming an English teacher allows you to teach and engage with pupils about the subject that you’re passionate about – passing on your English knowledge and studies onto the next generation of young minds.

The role of an English teacher involves planning, preparing and delivering lessons to pupils between the ages of 11 and 18 which are in line with lesson objectives within the national curriculum. Your aim should be to ensure a healthy atmosphere to learn in and allow students to progress in their English studies. As a secondary school English teacher, you’ll need to stay on top of the latest developments in order to develop new resources. You will also need to keep up to date with new teaching methods and any national curriculum objectives.

The English teacher role includes building professional relationships with other educational experts including learning mentors, career advisers, psychologists and many more as well as having meetings or a catch-up with parents and/or guardians to discuss a pupil’s progress or behaviour. You will need to be able to speak on both a formal and informal basis.

Responsibilities as a English Teacher

What will your responsibilities as an English teacher be?

As a secondary school English teacher, you will have many responsibilities including:

Organising and putting together lessons for a range of pupils with different abilities and ages. You will then teach pupils these lessons. After you have taught the lesson, you will be marking their wok and providing constructive feedback. You will then need to record pupils progress and development overtime.

Selecting a variety of learning resources is an important responsibility of an English teacher. This is because all students learn in different ways so you will need to use a wide variety of learning resources to engage all pupils including podcasts, videos, interactive whiteboards and others.

Another responsibility as an English teacher will be helping pupils improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills via individual and group sessions. This is because not only will your students need these as part of their English qualification; they are all a vital skill needed in life.

Pupils will inevitably have to do exams. It’s your job to prepare them for both mock tests but more importantly external examinations in order for them to achieve their target grades. You may have your own strategy on how to do this, whether it is to practice exam questions or tutor those who may need more support on a one to one basis.

They’ll be different ages, abilities and personalities that will be learning English as it is a core subject. Some will take to it like a duck in water, whereas others may take some time to get to grips with certain things. An English teacher must be able to manage a classroom as well as the behaviour in it as well as taking on the appropriate and effective action in dealing with any misbehaviour.

As an English teacher, you will have to attend parent’s evenings.You will need to talk with the parents or guardians of your students to discuss their individual strengths as well as areas where they could improve.

How much could you earn as an English teacher?

The starting salary for newly qualified teachers is currently at least £22,467 which rises to £28,098 in inner London. However teacher salaries on the main scale in Northern Ireland are slightly lower. In Northern Ireland it ranges from £22,243 to £32,509 and in Scotland it ranges from £22,194 to £35,409 which is slightly higher.

The amount you can earn as an English teacher depends on your responsibilities. This is because there are also additional payments available to teachers who take on sustained additional responsibilities, worth up to £12,898. However it does also vary from school to school and in different regional areas as to what your pay is.

Flourish Education pays secondary school English teachers up to £200 per day.

What are English teachers working hours?

Secondary school English teachers work from the autumn term in September to the end of summer which is in late July. This is a 39 week academic calendar year which is used for teaching throughout. However English teachers often make use of the 13 weeks’ holiday and half terms for marking pupils work and for lesson planning.

The working hours between schools can vary but they’re normally from 8:30am to 3:30 – 4pm. During this time, you will be teaching students of different ages and abilities. You’ll likely be in preparing before the school day starts and stay just after school finishes. Marking pupils’ workbooks and planning future lessons is typically done at home in your own time.

Generally, English teachers teach for five periods a day. However this can differ due to a schools timetable and how long their lessons last for. Lunchtimes may be taken up on a rota basis with extracurricular activities or pastoral duties.

Part-time work, long-term contracts and sabbatical prospects are possible. Supply teaching through and agency such as Flourish Education is also an attractive and flexible choice for some English teachers.

You could apply directly to a school, which means they can choose where they want to train. Trainees will learn on the job and will be a member of the teaching team from day one.

Length: one year

Entry: Undergraduate degree

Funding: salaried and non-salaried.

PGCE:

Complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Education - 24 weeks are spent on placement – normally at a wide variety of schools – while 12 weeks are spent at university.

Length: one year

Entry: Undergraduate degree

Funding: PGCE students will pay fees of up to £9,000.

Undergraduate degree:

Most undergraduate degrees in teaching are in primary education. Trainees spend just under 50% of their time out on placements in schools.If you already have a degree, you’ll need to complete a postgraduate teacher training course. This will lead to qualified teacher status (QTS) in England.

Length: 3 or 4 years

Entry: Min of 2 A-levels

Funding: PGCE students will pay fees of up to £9,000.

SCITT:

School-centred initial teacher training: The training course is practical, hands-on and delivered by current teachers based at their school. Most will also offer a PGCE.

Length: 3 or 4 years

Entry: Undergraduate degree

Funding: PGCE students will pay fees of up to £9,000.

Teach First:

Recruits high-achieving graduates to teach in challenging schools where more than 50% of pupils are from low-income backgrounds. 6 weeks of intensive training before spending 2 years at a school and completing a PGCE.

Length: 2 years

Entry: Min 2:1 degree

Funding: Paid salary

English teacher skills

English is a subject which is needed in pupils’ everyday life as well as their studies. You should demonstrate your passion for English and how it relates to everyday life. Teaching a subject that you enjoy and helping your pupils find enjoyment in too can be enormously satisfying – secondary school teachers can have a big impact on a pupil’s life. This is because it sets them up for their adulthood.

As an English teacher, you will need to have the ability to explain questions and how to answer them as well as explaining why a certain language device is used and its effect on the reader. You must be able to break down a question in a clear way so all abilities can understand it.

You’ll need to have outstanding communication skills (working with pupils, teachers and parents). You will also need a caring attitude and an understanding of the needs and feelings for children.

Good listening skills and being organised is obviously a must, coupled with the ability to inspire and enthuse children about learning maths. Showcasing creativity in the classroom and bringing a sense of humour are also brownie points.

Who are your employees?

The majority of secondary school English teachers work in local education authority (LEA) schools. Most of these schools follow the national curriculum so you will be teaching topics within it.

Academy schools are by a governing body. They’re independent from a local council and they have the power to follow a different curriculum and can and can set their own term times.

If you work in a grammar school, they’ll select a large majority of their pupils on academic ability so pupils usually have to pass an exam to enrol.

Instead of being funded by the government, private schools or ‘independent schools’ will charge fees to attend. Pupils at these schools don’t have to follow the national curriculum but they must be registered with the government and they’re inspected on a regular basis.

Due to the high demand of English teachers, some secondary school English teachers decide to register with teaching agencies like Flourish Education and try supply work. Supply teaching work offers flexibility, which suits some people. Although it is less stable than a permanent contract, supply teaching can lead to long term and permanent work within a school and also allows you experience multiple schools.